Why You Should Ban Wordpress From Your Toolset
As one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) in the world, WordPress has been a go-to platform for businesses, bloggers, and web developers for many years. However, despite its widespread use and popularity, there are some potential downsides to using WordPress that users should be aware of.
From security vulnerabilities to customization limitations and plugin compatibility issues, there are a variety of reasons why some experts believe that nobody should be using WordPress anymore. In this article, we'll explore some of the cons of using WordPress and provide insights into how you can mitigate these issues if you're already using the platform or considering it for your website.
🔒 Security Vulnerabilities
WordPress is vulnerable to security breaches due to its open-source nature, which allows anyone to access and potentially exploit its source code. As one of the most widely used content management systems in the world, it is a prime target for hackers. In fact, a report found that WordPress accounted for 90% of all hacked CMS websites in 2018.
Outdated software and weak passwords are common vulnerabilities that hackers exploit. A report found that more than 52% of WordPress sites were hacked due to outdated software, while weak passwords accounted for 8% of all successful attacks. Additionally, more than 90% of all login attempts on WordPress sites are made by hackers attempting to gain unauthorized access.
Plugins made by small third-party developers are often poorly maintained, adding to the platform's ongoing security issues.
🛠️ Maintenance and Updates
Neglecting site maintenance and updates can lead to security breaches due to outdated software and plugins that might contain vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers. Also, outdated software can cause compatibility issues with other plugins or the theme, resulting in site errors or crashes.
Over 20% of respondents in a survey by WP Site Care cited outdated software as the top cause of WordPress site crashes. In addition, a report by WP White Security revealed that 61% of hacked WordPress sites were using outdated software, highlighting the importance of staying current.
Maintaining a current version of WordPress, the template, and the plugins can be a challenge, particularly for non-technical users. Unfortunately, the statistics indicate that this issue is still far from being resolved.
🧩 Plugin Compatibility
Plugin compatibility is important for WordPress users. Plugins can add functionality to a site, but they can cause conflicts with other plugins or WordPress itself. Conflicting code or functionality can cause errors, crashes or other issues that can be hard to fix. Some plugins may not be updated regularly, leaving them vulnerable to security issues or compatibility problems with newer WordPress versions or other plugins. Plugins can also be abandoned by their developers, leaving users without support or updates.
⏰ Performance and Speed
Performance and speed are crucial for the success of any website, including WordPress. However, WordPress sites are susceptible to various speed and performance issues that can negatively affect site success, user experience, and search engine rankings.
Studies reveal that users are likely to leave a site if it takes more than three seconds to load, leading to lost revenue and engagement. WordPress sites can be slower to load than other platforms due to plugins and themes that are poorly optimized, inadequate hosting resources, and inefficient code.
Plugins and themes that are not optimized can slow page load times, increase server load, and make it difficult for search engines to crawl and index your site. WP Engine's study found that plugins were the most common cause of site performance issues for WordPress users. Additionally, using too many plugins or a bloated theme can contribute to these issues and hinder optimal performance.
Shared or inadequate hosting resources can also impact site performance, even if WordPress can run on almost any hosting platform. Shared hosting plans, for instance, can be sluggish and unreliable, particularly when traffic to the site increases. Pingdom's study showed that WordPress sites take 2.94 seconds to load on shared hosting compared to 1.29 seconds on a dedicated hosting plan.
💸 The Cost of Using WordPress
WordPress can initially seem like a budget-friendly website building option. However, there are several reasons why it can end up being more expensive in the long run. Premium themes and plugins can come with costs, with the average price of a premium WordPress theme being $57, according to a study by WPShout. Ongoing maintenance and updates are also necessary to ensure the security and functionality of a WordPress site, which can include regular backups and security scans. This can require technical expertise or hiring a professional, which can come at a premium, with the average hourly rate for a WordPress developer being $61, according to a survey by Codeable.
Moreover, as WordPress sites become more complex, they may require specialized development or technical support, which can also be costly. By being aware of these expenses and planning accordingly, users can make informed decisions about whether WordPress is the right choice for their needs and budget.
🦙 There are better alternatives
Wordpress was started 20 years ago! It had a huge impact on the web we know today especially blog websites, but during those 20 years, the web has evolved, new technologies were developed and better tools were built to further facilitate website building.
AlpacApp is a modern Website Builder that really differentiates itself in a few categories:
- It’s highly customizable
Click on any element in the page and start adjusting its styling, colors, typography and more. - It integrates seamlessly with Notion
Every content writer nowadays has heard of Notion, the popular writing tool that now offers some great AI writing capabilities. AlpacApp has a built-in Notion integration allowing you to write content in Notion and automatically syncing it with your website. - It’s extendable
While wordpress has plugins, AlpacApp has blocks. Actually, everything in AlpacApp is a block. You can create your own blocks, download them and even share them. This modular approach makes it much easier to integrate functionality to your website.
In addition to that, it also has all the features you would expect to find in a modern Website Builder such as an easy to use drag & drop interface.